Laura's Pov
"I felt her kicking for the first time last night. I can't believe it. I was staring to think it would never happen" Camille pouted.
"I'm so happy for you love" I smiled at her "It's nice to see you enjoying this even though it's so hard"
"She's a tough cookie" Nick spoke up and Camille and I turned around to look at him.
"When'd you get here?" she questioned.
"Few seconds ago" he grins "What's for dinner?"
"Whatever you want to make by yourself" she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Mean" he huffed.
"We're making my mom's italian pasta. She just sent me the recepie" I rolled my eyes "I guess we can do a whole dinner for all of us"
Nick hadn't been the first to walk into the kitchen, see all the ingredients out and ask what's for dinner.
Apperantly, a lot of people wanted pasta tonight.
That or they were just extremely lazy to make something else for themselves.
"That's a lot of sauce" Camille rolled her eyes, and I snorted at that.
"Back on that same topic" I pointed at Camille "Can we see your belly? I'm curious"
"Duh" she rolled her eyes at me, before lifiting her shirt up.
It turned out that sweater had been hiding quite the bump underneath. I hadn't realized how much she'd grown since the last time I saw it.
"Damn" I smiled at her.
"I know" she caressed her belly "Going on four months now"
"Are you excited to be an uncle?" I teased Nick, and he chuckled "Are you excited to be an auntie?"
I giggled at that.
Then, Camille gasped "Holy shit. She moved again! Feel!!"
I touched her stomach then, and Nick hurried to do the same.
And, we both felt her move again.
"Ouh" Nick pulled his hand away, making a disgusted face "That's weird as fuck"
"It is" I laughed at his face, then pulling my hand away "It's insane"
My brain could never fully wrap around pregnancy and how crazy a woman's body was.
It was so beautiful. I saw Camille change every day- hormones, looks, pain, and in all of it, she was still gorgeous.
I was very excited to see her little daughter. She was as settled as she could, with two loving parents.
But it did catch up to me at some point.. how I was twenty seven and nowhere near that.
At this point, it wasn't even societal pressure making me anxious.. it was my own desires.
Because I knew I wanted that- the little cute family, and I was nowhere near that becoming a reality.
It was difficult.. and the more I thought about it, the more I wondered.
Was Gema right? Should I stop crying over what was broken, and start new? It would be the first step towards it.. right?
"You okay?" Camille touched my shoulder.
I looked up, now just noticing I'd zoned out while looking at the floor.
"Yeah" I pressed my lips, turning around to read the recepie again, and start on the sauce.
"On other news" Nick cleared his throat "Eric and I finally decided on the wedding date"
"Ouuu no you did not?" Camille grinned at him "When?"
"February 14th" he winked, dragging a chair so he could sit by the island and keep talking to us as we cooked.
"Valentine's Day?" Camille and I questioned in one breath.
"Oui" he raised his eyebrows "What's more romantic than getting married on the day de l'amour? Plus, remembering our wedding anniversary won't be difficult" he shrugged, then pointed to us "Don't tell him I said that"
"You're going to have your anniversary and valentine's in one day?" Camille raised her eyebrows.
Just as Nicolas was about to speak up again, we heard the door open.
We all raised our eyebrows at each other, and moments later, Gema walked in the kitchen wearing her silky green dress.
I started at her.
She stared back at me.
Then, she grinned "Oh Laura... It was great"
"Oh?" I blinked, and she nodded, sequeling in happiness before running up to hug me.
I hugged her back- but she could barely hold still. She was very jumpy, and ended up throwing her hands over Nick's shoulders and kissing his cheek as he was sitting instead.
He turned his head to her "Damn it went that well? You haven't kissed my cheek in years"
"Yes, well" she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, sitting next to Nicolas "I don't even know where to start"
I was finding it hard to fully break out a smile for Gema, even when I knew how truly important this date had been to her.
To be truthful, she'd been through a lot in the last few months.
She broke up with her boyfriend of two years now almost a year ago, then lost her job three months after that.
She fell into quite a depression because of it- similar to what I went through when I broke it off with my last boyfriend as well.
Except, our ways of coping were vastly different.
I went to therapy, tried to drown my sorrows in alcohol alone in my room, cried a lot, and overworked myself to the brim.
She on the other hand, cried about it for a week or so, before deciding that she wanted to return to her roots.
The 'party girl' she'd always been.
So there came in and out different boys every few days or so. She was doing a lot of one night stands, and while she'd turned that down a notch lately, she was very much still about that life.
Which honestly, I was sort of jealous of.
I didn't have the ability to sleep with anyone just like that. I needed to feel connection, chemistry, anything outside of being pleased with what I saw.
Either way, the fact that she still had no job was becoming quite an issue... but maybe, this date with Ross was the start of something new. Maybe if things went well with him, she might get inspired to go into more work interviews, and not disregard the fact that she needed to pay her side of rent.
And even when I thought about it like that- my chest tightned.
I wasn't sure why, but I felt uncomfortable, and a little iffy on her actually dating him. Maybe it was because I saw him every day at work.
Well he did say he did not date.
That thought too, made me frown.
But, that lasted a just a good minute, before I snapped out of it- eyes widen.
Absolutely not.
Anyone but him would be fine. If anything, I'd celebrate having a thought like this after all the trauma I'd suffered in my last relationship that had my view of love so damn screwed up.
But he.. not only did I not like him for what he'd done to me, that even now, I couldn't get over...but, he was also off limits and bad news in so many ways.
"Tell us everything" Camille looked curious.
"Cam don't forget the pasta" I reminded her as I still worked on the sauce.
I didn't need it to overcook.
"Yep" she nodded, still not moving as she stared at Gema.
I rolled my eyes, going to check on the pasta myself.
"He was kinda cold at the start I won't lie" she pointed "But um, he picked me up in a limousine-"
Nick gasped.
"-took me to this very nice expensive restaurant and thank god I wore my best dress. He let me talk most of the time and didn't interrupt me which was so nice. He even opened a door for me once as we walked in, which was very gentlemanly of him. He ordered my food for me because I was so indecisive which was also appreciated, and didn't touch me all night- very very respectful" she explained, still smiling.
"Did you kiss him?" Camille questioned.
I tensed, and the spoon I was holding fell from my hand- right on the tile floor, making a lot of unnecessary noise.
I looked at them as they started at me, then quickly picked it up- before proceeding to return to my cooking awkwardly.
"No" she sighed, sounding grumpy "But I guess that's healthy. Kissing on the first date has never taken me anywhere anyway"
"Did he talk about himself?" was the first question I was sort of curious to ask, as I slowly turned around to face her.
I could still remember the way he reacted after all my questions a few days ago, about that night at Louise's.
Since that day things between us had turned quickly more professional and less talking about personal lives.
He'd just started speaking more again but- I could tell his guard was up.
I wasn't trying to take it down either. It was none of my business, after all.
Right?
Gema thought about my questions, before shrugging a bit "Uh.. barely. As I said, he let me speak most of the night and it was lovely"
"So you don't know anything new about him?" Nick raised an eyebrow at her.
"I know he has two siblings and a dog" she suggested "And uh.. he likes music"
"Likes music or plays or sings like Laura?" Camille questioned.
"I'm not sure. We didn't go in depth" she scratched her head.
"That's in depth?" Nicolas snorted, making me chuckle.
"I doubt he sings or plays" I hummed.
He didn't seem like the type to.
Either way, after an hour or so, we finished making the spaghetti, and as I sat on the couch, hot plate of pasta in front of me as I sat in front of the tv watching a scary show..
It all felt nostalgic.
Down to the taste of the pasta too.
It made me miss my mom even more, honestly.
And so my mind kept drifting between two things- Ross's date, and my mom.
Both made me feel sick.
,,,
Four hours into the work day, as we were nearing lunch- I tapped the pencil I was holding against my notebook.
I'd been doing fine-ish this far- kept to myself, and did my work, communicated with Ross- well, more like bickered, but you couldn't say we weren't exchanging words!
And that's my win.
Anyway- through all those words, looks, and talks, all I'd been craving to do was ask him about the date.
What he thought of Gema- would there be another one? Did it go as amazing for him too?
And now that my work couldn't distract me anymore, seeing as I'd finished quite early into the day- my thoughts were going crazy.
I tried to speak up three times, intending to ask him about it- then said completely something else.
As I looked to my side- he didn't seem to be having any issues concentrating, taking his emails one by one, and there was a lot of them to go through.
His brows furrowed together as he stared at his lap top- his posture more relaxed into his seat. I could see his jawline so perfectly from where I sat- it felt like a sin to get to enjoy the view.
As much as I didn't enjoy his personality, his looks.. well, fuck me, I was a woman too.
One who needed to seriously get into that dating pool again- before she began having thoughts she shouldn't have, for someone so forbidden.
"Ross" I found myself saying his name- softly, yet a curious tone to it.
He turned his head slowly, and stared at me.
Don't say it.
"Can I ask you a question, a bit inappropriate considering our jobs?" I tested the waters- as I narrowed my eyes at him.
There was no going back now.
"Hm" he crossed his arms, spinning his chair lightly so it could face me "Only if I can ask one of my own"
Well, I surely didn't expect that.
"Deal" I nodded, hoping I wouldn't regret agreeing so easily "So um, Gema seemed pretty happy about last night. How do you think it went?"
He stared at me in silence- and a few seconds passed by, making me more and more nervous on my question.
"She's uh.. something" he spoke up, ending my agony "Nice girl"
I nodded at him- slowly.
As we stared at each other, he raised an eyebrow "Yes?"
I sighted, rolling my eyes and falling back into my chair.
"Fine" he weaved me off, surprising me again "It's not like I went into it entertaining the idea of ever getting somewhere with her- but shit. She didn't stop talking for a minute, and I had to order for her because she was holding up the waiter. I wanted to give her a nice night considering it would be our only night together to be honest, but she seemed to entertain herself just fine. She was sort of clingy- had to pray her hands off of me several times and-"
I couldn't help it- interrupting his words as I bursted out laughing.
He stared at me- looking bored as I tried to keep it composed and hide my face away with my hands, but I couldn't help it- the more he started at me, the more I laughed.
Finally, as I relaxed a bit and pulled my hands off my face- I noticed he was still staring at me, a little smile on his face.
"You seemed like you needed to get that out" I finally formed a sentence.
He snorted, looking away "Yeah well, with the amount of shit I keep in- I'm surprised I haven't exploded yet"
So tell me!
Stop it Laura.
"Sounds healthy" I shrugged a little.
He placed his elbows on the table, then rested his head on top of his fists, turning it so he was staring right at me.
It was weird- how I felt like a piece in an art gallery when he started at me, as his stare held such concentration, being unapologetically passionate.
I'd find him looking at me quite a lot, and still, I could never get used to it. I guess I kept wondering, what even was there to look at.
"Why did you go on the date knowing you wouldn't even entertain the thought of being with my friend?" I cleared my throat, now just asking questions to distract his eyes away from me.
He made me nervous.
"She was your friend" he simply replied - and it worked, he looked away from me.
But now.. I was confused. What was that supposed to mean?
"She's my friend" I repeated, narrowing my eyebrows at him.
He wasn't doing me a favour to be honest - favours were things you did for friends, not forced coworkers.
"Don't look into it too much" he licked his lips.
Oh.
I pressed my lips, as more questions swirled in my head..
"Okay, maybe you wouldn't date her but.. for one night? Gema's not a stranger to one night stands, and she seemed into you"
I should really stop talking, like really truly honestly stopppp talking.
"Let's just say blondes aren't my type" he stared at me.
My hand curled at my side- as I let out a small breath.
Shit.
Well.. he didn't mean.. no, there was other hair colours out there beside brunette.
"What is y-"
"Ah" he lifts his index finger up- holding it near my lips "I thought you had one question, tesoro? That was like.. three, I believe?"
"You counted" I blinked.
"My turn" he smirked, ignoring my comment.
The nerves came back, and I just shook my head "Fine"
"Is there a particular reason as to why you like to keep your hair a little longer at the bar, opposite to here?" he questioned, as I noticed his hand move to touch my short hair, brushing against my cheek.
Surprised at the touch, I tensed, and he lighty dropped his hand- looking at me instead.
"I uh-" I blinked, still a bit distracted "My boss loves the long weaves on me. Says they make me look more.. feminine, which could be beneficial for tips"
He didn't say a thing at the beginning, then moved forward, which brought him closer to me.
"I'm not so sure about that theory"
"No?" I questioned, now nervous at how close he seemed to be.
"Maybe they love your short hair better"
And something in his eyes- those beautiful hazel eyes that started back at me, told me.. he wasn't refereeing to anyone else, with the use of they.
I saw his eyes lower, once again, and this time around, I barely cought it- as I was staring at his lips instead.
They had a particular pretty shape to them. A very visible cupid's bow and.. and..
I immediately sat up, scaring both him and myself at the same time.
He started up at me- a bit surprised, as I backed off the table all together.
Shit.. he'd been too close. He was leaning in- and I'd been in a trance.
I bet he placed that sleeping spell on many, many women.
But now, that I had stood up- i felt awkward instead.
So, to seem like I'd just had an idea, i spoke up the first thing that came to my mind "Halloween"
I saw his eyebrows visibility furrow at that "Huh?"
"It's getting closer" I licked my lips "Um, we've always celebrated it, and I think this year should be no different"
Good.. good.. keep your composure woman.
"Seriously?" he snorted, rolling his eyes as he rested back on his seat.
Jesus Christ- how on earth was he so relaxed knowing what he'd almost done to me.
"Uh, yeah. All the employees love it- well, more so the younger crowd, but still. Keeps it fresh. They'd be disappointed if we treated this year differently"
He looked at me for a moment, then, rolled his eyes "Make some halloween baskets and gift it to them. I'm not using all that budget to throw a Halloween party when they could easily find a club"
"I'll make sure we're budget friendly considering the marketing campaign and the wages" and if I kept talking, the moment we just had could be forgotten completely.
"We're not doing it Laura" his voice had a warning ring to it.
I crossed my arms.
,,,
"The planning committee sure went all out" Camille commented.
We let our employees all ditch the office early so everyone could have time to dress up before the party at eight. Ross wasn't too happy about it.
We were holding it at a hotel nearby that GiGi owned (so we didn't have to pay for the space), where we decided on an all you can eat buffet, drinks, and some lovely music. Of course, the scary decorations were a must, and covered practically every corner of the place- and everyone had to dress up to attend.
Everyone.
"What do you think Ross went as?" Cam questioned as I weaved at a few familiar faces.
"A nice person" I shrugged lightly, smiling at her.
She snorted.
Though I had to admit, our costume choices weren't that much more creative.
Camille had went as a fortune teller- the head scarf, the skirt, the crystal ball, the whole shabang. She looked gorgeous.
And yes, she did make the joke about her real crystal ball being her pregnant belly.
"I heard that" I whipped my head around, and saw him standing at the entrance.
Once he noticed my eyes on him, he approached the two of us.
"Oops" I narrowed my eyes at him, speaking in a monotone voice.
"I still think this shit is a waste of time. John would laugh at us" he pointed at me.
"Oh he'd laugh alright. He found Halloween parties entertaining" I crossed my arms, giving him a look "Right Cam?"
Camille started at me, then back at Ross "Um, yep"
She started in between us for a second, before speaking up again "I'm gonna go get me a non-alcoholic cocktail"
As I was about to tell her to wait up, as I wanted one too, she ran away.
I noticed Ross' eyebrows furrow "Is she scared of me?"
"Maybe" I shrugged.
"But you're not?" he raised an eyebrow.
I started at him, looking into now the much more familiar eyes, then titled my head to the side "I haven't decided yet"
With that, I started walking away from him in search of the head of the party committee - I wanted to congratulate her personally before the speeches we were doing later.
Since I didn't notice her in the actual party in the large lobby, I assumed she was perhaps in one of the hallways upstairs, still fixing last minute stuff.
As I went up the large, fancy, staircase though, I noticed Ross following me.
"Maybe this'll make you feel more safe" he spoke up, pulling up a badge from his pocket.
FBI.
Oh.
An FBI agent.
"Oh whoa. Very realistic" I was impressed with the document, but didn't get to stare at it too long before he closed it, putting it right back in his pocket.
"Yeah, that's effort" he shrugged, as we walked up side to side.
He didn't even know where I was going - I wasn't sure why he was coming with.
"Really? Because when I saw you with that coat on I thought you showed up in office clothing" I admitted- genuinely believing he hadn't worn a costume.
"Shit, tesoro, and what are you supposed to be? Some kind of angel?" he questioned, and I saw his eyes drop down to what I was wearing.
"That's actually offensive" I rolled my eyes "Can't you see the mike on my hand? The bottle of cabernet? Cigarette?"
I'd specifically told myself I'd have to hold the mike in one hand, and the bottle of wine in the other for the whole night, so people could draw conclusions on the concept.
Thankfully, I didn't have to hold the cigarette - I'd come up with the creative way to stuff it in my bra on the side, leaving half of it out so you could actually see it pressed up, and it wouldn't fall off.
I came to a halt at the top of the staircase, stopping him in his tracks too.
He took the time to really check out all the details, and his eyes explored my body like he was curious.
Once again, I felt naked, and it was showing as my face got hotter.
I was in a relatively exposing dress- the feathers on the sides couldn't hide much.
And so, I cut the tension, turning around to one of the hallways instead.
She was nowhere in sight, but, I did find the bathrooms.
I sighted, then looked up to see Ross had followed me right up to here.
The fact that we were now alone.. suddenly struck my head.
"I'm still not certain" he spoke up.
I pressed my lips, then lowered myself to place down the mike and bottle of wine, so I could wear the white mask I'd been carrying with me instead, and put it on.
Good. At least now he couldn't see half of my face.
"Still a no" he raised an eyebrow, then, took a step forward "Though I'm intrigued"
I swear I felt my breath being taken away the second he moved his hand up to touch the mask- putting his finger under it and against my cheek.
He had cold hands.
My face felt hot.
"Old hollywood star" I finally answered, as I noticed his hand move to the back of my neck - I wasn't sure how I kept my voice straight.
My hands were definitely shaking.
"That explains the alcohol and cigarette" he chuckled lightly.
But I was still too distracted by his actions to mirror his casual laugh.
Then, my eyes snapped down from his face- to his chest as I tried to move "Um- we should probably-"
"Do you smoke?" he questioned, interrupting me from wanting to run away as fast as I could.
He took one step forward- I went one step back- and suddenly felt the cold wall hit my shoulders.
Well, one of them. The other had his hand still protecting it, as he moved his thumb slightly.
"N-no"
Fuck.
Damn it.
Shit.
That answer was way too shaky- and I could tell he knew what he was doing. He had this all knowing shit- eating smirk on his face.
And it was attractive, but that's beside the point.
He lifted his other arm as his palm rested against the wall, right next to my head.
The more he leaned, the less I found myself wanting to escape.
"So, I'd assume you wouldn't need this?" he spoke up, and I wasn't sure what he meant by that...
Up until I felt his fingers across my chest.
They lingered for a bit, before he pulled out the cigarette from my bra.
I watched as he placed it in his mouth, pressing his lips on it.
Suddenly, I wanted those lips on me instead. All over me, actually.
My skin itched for more of his touch, but he didn't seem to care.
He pulled away- and I didn't feel his hot breath on me any longer.
He walked a few steps, before turning around and sending me a smile "Thanks tesoro. You look pretty"
It was the last thing he said, before I saw him disappear for the lobby.
My thoughts were still blurry, as I pulled the mask up to my head to see more clearly.
I placed a hand on my chest, as if wanting to stop the quick beating heartbeat.
He made me feel like alcohol.
Disoriented, dizzy, and in no control of my body.
I waited a few seconds up there, just trying to gather myself, when Leila walked by - asking what I was doing up there alone.
I explained I was fine, and with my legs that felt like jelly, walked down the stars and back to the party.
It was difficult for me to admit, but, whatever he did, turned me on.
I liked it.
And I guess.. as I walked down the stairs and saw him standing at the buffet talking with some of the women of the hotel staff.. it was the case for them too.
Their laugher was loud, and he'd lit my cigarette, smoking it in the mids of the girls.
My blood was boiling.
I suddenly needed alcohol again...but I was at the bottom of the stairs when I remembered I'd left the bottle of wine, along with my mike up there.
"Where'd you disappear with Ross? What the hell?" Camille questioned the second she saw me.
I turned to her, seeing she already had a drink in hand.
All I could master up to say was,
"He stole my cigarette"
⋆˚☽｡⋆.
Hello hello darlings.
Little update to celebrate Halloween!! :) I'd update on the actual day but I have plans and I didn't think I'd make it so it's safer to do it the day before
I dyed my hair so I think I have a good idea on what I wanna do tomorrow hahah
Were you surprised with Ross and Laura's costumes? I feel like they were pretty damn perfect for them in this book.
Picked 'Old Hollywood Star' for Laura as she's a bar singer. Ross being 'in the FBI' and putting in 0 effort also seemed suitable enough lol.
But oh la la, they be getting close close 👀👀 Poor Camille being in the in between of Gema & Laura djdjdn
I'm also planning on doing a Christmas chapter (maybe), if I have time.
Everything considered, hope you guys liked this chapter ! It was v fun to write.
If you did, please vote, comment, follow, and um.. carve a pumpkin.
Happy Halloween 🎃
- G
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